Leiden power station — Netherlands

Leiden power station is a 85 MW gas power plant in Zuid-Holland, Netherlands. It is operated by Uniper SE [100%]. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 96k homes (estimated). It ranks #44 of 119 Netherlands power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1986, it is around 40 years old — long-established. Its annual emissions of 87,089 t CO₂/yr (EU ETS verified (EUTL 2023)) are equivalent to about 20k cars driven for a year. In context, gas supplies about 34.9% of Netherlands's electricity; the national grid averages 254 gCO₂/kWh (54.2% low-carbon) (2025).

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id GOGPT_leiden_nether.

Data provenance

Source of the capacity and fuel values:

capacity: GEM · 2026 · L100000400536; fuel: GEM GOGPT

In context: how this plant compares

At 85 MW, Leiden power station is below the median gas plant in Netherlands (120 MW). Technically it is described as CCGT; combined-cycle with a heat-recovery steam generator (HRSG). Gas plants burn natural gas either in open-cycle turbines for fast peaking, or in combined-cycle units that recover exhaust heat in an HRSG to reach roughly 55–62% efficiency — the cleanest-burning fossil option.

Capacity comparison computed from the WRI Global Power Plant Database; fuel-type context is general engineering background.

87,089 t CO₂/yr — in everyday terms

This facility's annual emissions are roughly equivalent to:

Equivalencies via US EPA Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies; emissions per EU ETS verified (EUTL 2023) (measured for US EPA/EU ETS, modelled for Climate TRACE).

Key facts

Share of Netherlands gas capacity

0.6% of 14,954 MW across 42 plants in this dataset

Age among peers

6 of 36 dated gas plants in Netherlands are older

Calculated from the capacity and generation records in this dataset (WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0)).

Capacity vs largest gas plants in Netherlands

Installed capacity (MW), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).

Owner

Operated by Uniper SE [100%].

Climate zone & how it works

This gas plant burns natural gas in a turbine — often in a combined-cycle setup — to generate electricity. It sits in a temperate oceanic climate (Köppen Cfb) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 52.2°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

Climate zone & typical temperatures: Köppen-Geiger world climate classification (Kottek et al. 2006, 0.5° grid).

Site climate & environmental severity

This site sits in a corrosive environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C4 — High), with humidity / wetness the leading environmental stress.

Indicative estimate via the ISO 9223:2012 informative method (atmospheric corrosivity from temperature, time-of-wetness and airborne salinity), using WorldClim climate normals, the Köppen-Geiger class and coast distance. Indicative, not a measured corrosion rate.

How it compares & nearby plants

The #26 largest gas power plant of 42 in Netherlands by capacity.

Netherlands has 42 gas power plants in this dataset, together about 14,954 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

• Den Haag power station · Gas · 112 MW · Zuid-Holland
• Groene Hoek · Solar · 15 MW · North Holland
• Schiphol power station · Oil · 107 MW · North Holland
• Rotterdam Capelle (RoCa) power station · Gas · 268 MW · Zuid-Holland
• Rijnmond II · Gas · 427 MW · South Holland
• Maasstroom power station · Gas · 426 MW · South Holland

Location

Coordinates 52.1641, 4.4941 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions